Rangers Eyeing Move For "Powerful" 23 y/o Defender

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale is looking to bring Chelsea defender Dujon Sterling to Ibrox this summer.

What’s the Rangers latest transfer news involving Sterling?

The Gers appear to be targeting a number of English-based players ahead of Beale’s first full season in charge. The likes of Karlan Grant, Kieran Dowell, Jack Butland, Auston Trusty and Leighton Clarkson have all been linked with moves north.

Another player based in the south, Sterling, appears to be on the club’s radar after spending the season on loan with Stoke City. According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are hoping to bring Sterling to Ibrox ahead of Stoke City over the coming months.

The full-back is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and the Championship side are hoping to make his loan move permanent. However, Beale is poised to make a Rangers move, looking to hijack the deal as he already knows the player from his time as Chelsea youth coach.

Rangers manager Michael Beale celebrates after the match.

Who is Sterling?

Sterling is 23 years of age and is primarily a right-back who can also turn out as a left-back if needed, so could provide cover and competition to first-choice right-back James Tavernier next season.

The Englishman, hailed as a “powerful” player by Stoke manager Alex Neil this season, has made 28 appearances in all competitions for The Potters.

He has turned out just twice for Chelsea at senior level but does have plenty of senior experience after loan spells with Coventry City, Blackpool and Wigan. In total, Sterling has made 96 first-team appearances in the EFL, and with Beale clearly a fan, a free transfer could prove to be a shrewd move.

Sponsored by Nike, Sterling would offer versatility in both full-back areas while he has also featured further forward in right and left midfield roles at points in 2022/23. It could well be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, but Rangers may need to act fast if Beale is to get his man ahead of Stoke.

موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة السعودية وقرجيكستان اليوم في كأس آسيا

تعرف على موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة السعودية وقرجيكستان اليوم في كأس آسيا

يخوض منتخب السعودية مواجهة هامة ومرتقبة اليوم الأحد، أمام نظيره قرجيكستان، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس آسيا قطر 2023.

ويلتقي السعودية وقرجيكستان، على أرضية استاد أحمد بن علي المونديالي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثانية لكأس آسيا.

ويتواجد منتخبا عمان وتايلاند في المجموعة السادسة لـ كأس آسيا 2023، مع قرجيكستان والسعودية.

طالع أيضاً.. ترتيب مجموعة تونس في كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023 بعد التعادل مع مالي

وكان منتخب السعودية قد استهل مشوارة في بطولة كأس آسيا بفوز مثير على عمان بهدفين لهدف، بينما تلقى قرجيكستان هزيمة قاسية أمام تايلاند بهدفين دون رد. موعد مباراة السعودية وقرجيكستان اليوم في كأس آسيا

تنطلق المبارة اليوم الأحد، في تمام الساعة السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة والنصف بتوقيت السعودية.

مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة السعودية وقرجيكستان في كأس آسيا.. إعلان التشكيل القنوات الناقلة لمباراة السعودية وقرجيكستان اليوم

تُنقل المباراة عبر فضائية “بي إن سبورتس كأس آسيا 1 و2 و3″ و”الكأس إكسترا 1″ و”الكأس إكسترا 2” و”أبو ظبي الرياضية آسيا 1″، SSC 1HD.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Nick Pope Stunned By £120k p/w Newcastle Star

Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope has admitted Alexander Isak left him seriously impressed after his very first training session.

Will Newcastle finish in the top four?

It has been a season to remember for the Toon Army who find their club well in the mix for a spot in next season's Champions League.

And they will be handed the opportunity to strengthen their push for European football on the weekend when they face fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

The Magpies already sit three points ahead of Spurs and hold a game in hand on the north London club ahead of the clash on Sunday.

A lot of Newcastle's success this season can be credited to their stunning defensive record which has seen no other side concede fewer goals than them (24) this campaign.

However, it is apparent one new arrival, in particular, has impressed behind the scenes with Alexander Isak hitting his stride after a lengthy period out through injury.

Indeed, speaking on Ben Foster's 'Fozcast', Newcastle's shot-stopper has revealed how impressed the Swedish striker left him after his very first training session on Tyneside:

"First training session, we'd just signed him for good money and we done a shooting session and he's nearly taken by face off a couple of times."

"15 minutes of shooting and I was protecting my body."

Should Isak start every week?

Isak's arrival at Newcastle will have brought a lot of high expectations given the club broke their record transfer fee for the 23-year-old.

And his time at St. James' Park did not get off to the best start with the Sweden international suffering two injuries which saw him miss a considerable amount of game time.

However, now he has had time to recover and settle into the side under Eddie Howe, the striker is beginning to repay the £63m spent on him over the summer.

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Isak has now returned a seriously impressive eight goals in the Premier League and he has done so over just 906 minutes of action (via Transfermarkt).

To put that into perspective, among the league's top scorers, only Erling Haaland (70) has bettered Isak's return of a goal every 113 minutes.

What is encouraging for Newcastle fans is that even in his absence, Callum Wilson has shown he is capable of returning to the starting Xi and scoring goals.

Despite the impressive start to life on Tyneside for the £120k-per-week striker, it should not be a foregone conclusion that the Swede has earned the starting spot in Howe's XI.

Isak was replaced by Wilson for the trip to West Ham United and the Englishman ran riot in east London as he netted twice against the Hammers (via Transfermarkt).

And perhaps it is a case of these two strikers providing each other with healthy competition behind the scenes to bring the absolute best out of one another.

Potter Must Unleash Chelsea’s £50k-p/w "Threat"

Chelsea return to Premier League action this evening following the recent international break as Aston Villa travel to Stamford Bridge.

Graham Potter has undergone a mini resurgence at the club in recent weeks, winning three out of four matches during March, including an impressive 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16, and he will be hoping the confidence carries into tonight’s match.

Several players have upped their game recently, with Kai Havertz and Joao Felix getting in among the goals against Everton in their last match before the break and this will give Potter a major boost heading into the final few weeks of the campaign.

The 47-year-old could well make some changes, especially with a league clash against Liverpool taking place just 72 hours after the Villa game and this could present an opportunity to a few players who have a point to prove, with Conor Gallagher itching for another chance.

Will Conor Gallagher start for Chelsea vs Aston Villa?

The 23-year-old has played 24 times in the top flight this term, although he has started just ten matches and will be hoping Potter unleashes him from the first whistle tonight.

Gallagher enjoyed an extremely productive spell at Crystal Palace last season, firmly establishing himself as someone who could have a bright future. He registered 11 goal contributions – eight goals and three assists – made 1.1 key passes and created five big chances, certainly showcasing his attacking attributes.

Returning to Chelsea was inevitable, yet he maybe hasn’t hit the heights he expected of himself following his successful loan spell, despite averaging a solid 6.8/10 Sofascore rating.

Against Leicester City recently, Gallagher had one of his finest performances of the season so far, and he only played the second half. His Sofascore rating of 8/10 was the best out of any player on the pitch, and he managed 41 touches, made one key pass, and succeeded with 100% of his dribbles, giving Potter something different going forward.

Conor Gallagher playing for Chelsea

The £50k-per-week gem was previously praised by journalist and analytics expert Patrick Rowe, who stated that his best traits were his “relentless work rate” and “threat in the final third” and there is no doubt he can terrorise Villa’s defence.

Unai Emery’s men have conceded 39 goals this term and if Gallagher starts and performs like how he did against Leicester a few weeks ago, then the Englishman will give the Stamford Bridge outfit a massive boost and another three points will take them closer to the European spots.

Liverpool have been watching Brandt

Liverpool have been watching Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Julian Brandt ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Klopp’s an admirer

The Reds are expected to undergo a central revamp this summer with four players soon to be out of contract, and despite being heavily linked with a swoop for Jude Bellingham, it’s actually one of his fellow teammates that has also emerged as a target.

Germany international Brandt has now entered the final 18 months of his contract at the Signal Iduna Park, and being Edin Terzic’s top-performing offensive player, has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp, but not for the first time.

According to journalist James Pearce, the boss is a ‘big fan’ of the 26-year-old and reportedly tried to sign him back in 2017, but his club weren’t open to a sale at the time, though it sounds like he is still very much tracking his long-term target.

The Latest: Liverpool eyeing Brandt

According to 90min, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle United have all ‘watched’ Brandt throughout the course of this season, whilst Inter Milan and Napoli are also ‘admirers’ in Italy.

Dortmund, as a result of the huge interest, are ‘determined’ to secure the long-term future of their talisman and are already underway with work behind the scenes to make that happen.

The Bundesliga giants are currently in ‘ongoing’ talks with the midfielder regarding fresh terms and are ‘confident’ that they will be able to retain his services beyond the upcoming summer window.

The Verdict: Worth another attempt

Liverpool may have failed in their attempt to sign Brandt six years ago but it’s definitely worth taking another shot regardless of him opening negotiations over a renewal with Dortmund.

The Nike-sponsored star has clocked up an impressive 14 goal contributions in 32 appearances across all competitions this season, including 12 in 23 league outings (Transfermarkt).

In the Bundesliga, he’s currently averaging 2.3 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game, highlighting his desire to push him team higher up the field and contribute to their efforts in the final third (WhoScored).

The Bremen native would also bring out-of-this-world flexibility to the squad with his ability to operate in a remarkable eight different positions across the pitch.

Brandt has been praised for ‘controlling the tempo’ when he’s on the pitch by journalist Josh Bunting, making him the perfect candidate to add some flexibility and energy into the Reds’ struggling midfield.

Joe Gomez could make return for Liverpool

Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez could potentially return from injury in time for his side’s vital Champions League clash with Real Madrid this week.

The Lowdown: Gomez missing recently

The Reds make the trip to Spain on Wednesday evening, looking to produce one of the greatest comebacks in their history after their 5-2 loss in the first leg – one that saw them lead 2-0 during the first half and eventually capitulate in grim fashion.

Progression into the quarter-finals would arguably be an even greater achievement than the semi-final triumph over Barcelona back in 2019, such is the size of the task and the fact that the second leg isn’t at Anfield.

Liverpool have been dogged by injury problems all season and someone who has been unavailable recently is Gomez, who hasn’t featured since the aforementioned 5-2 defeat last month.

Now, it looks as though he could be nearing a return, however, following a fresh update.

The Latest: Back fit for Madrid?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, injury expert Ben Dinnery suggested that Wednesday night could see Gomez back in the fold after his recent absence:

“Gomez shouldn’t be too far away, but that Real Madrid game, I would never rule out a return to the matchday squad, but not in terms of being thrust into that starting-11.

“Unless something serious was to crop up or arise ahead of that game, then it’s highly, highly unlikely he’s involved.”

The Verdict: Certainly shouldn’t start

This is a clear positive for Jurgen Klopp, in terms of having as many players available as possible, although it would be a huge shock if Gomez started proceedings on Wednesday.

Firstly, the £85,000-a-week defender will be lacking match fitness after being out for a few weeks, and finding that rhythm against a world-class Madrid side would be asking a lot of him, considering they possess the likes of Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema in attack.

The 25-year-old is also having a shaky season for Liverpool, with both he and Joel Matip a long way short of their best and doubts surrounding his future, while Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are the strongest centre-back pairing available.

For Gomez, the next few months represent a vital period for him in his Reds career, as he looks to prove to Klopp that he is worth persevering, even though his contract doesn’t expire until 2027.  His manager has called him a ‘sensational’ footballer in the past, though, and given his age, he could deserve to stay on as a squad player beyond this summer.

Tottenham: Spurs ‘could move’ for Rui Pedro Braz

Tottenham ‘could move’ for Benfica chief Rui Pedro Braz if sporting director Fabio Paratici is handed a worldwide ban, according to reporter James Nursey.

The Lowdown: Paratici sentenced…

Spurs chief Paratici was recently hit with a 30-month ban from Italian football for his alleged role in Juventus’ apparent false accounting and financial irregularities.

The Lilywhites transfer man could also be slapped with a worldwide ban depending on developments, meaning he would no longer be able to serve as Tottenham’s managing director.

Antonio Conte’s side, in that scenario, would need a new recruitment chief to head N17 operations off-the-field.

The Latest: Spurs ‘could move’ for Pedro Braz…

According to Nursey, writing for The Daily Mirror, it is believed Spurs ‘could move’ for Benfica talent spotter Pedro Braz if Paratici’s worldwide ban comes to fruition.

The 44-year-old has amassed quite the reputation in Portugal for head-hunting football’s most promising gems, ultimately attracting interest from north London.

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The Verdict: Right man?

If Paratici can no longer fulfil his Premier League duties at Tottenham, there are few better than Pedro Braz to step into the Italian’s important role.

The Benfica official has helped make his club one of the world’s leading teams for spotting and recruiting talent – even leading to Chelsea’s courtship before the west Londoners appointed Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley as their new directors.

Financially, Pedro Braz has contributed towards some real gains in profit at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica – most recently playing a part in selling Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for a British record £106 million.

He has also possesses a masters degree in communication and leadership with it being crystal clear he would be qualified to succeed Paratici.

Indeed, Pedro Braz would certainly come as a promising appointment.

Villa can land Modric 2.0 in Guendouzi

Aston Villa failed to secure a new senior addition to strengthen their attacking ranks following Danny Ing’s move to West Ham United last month, with 19-year-old Jhon Duran coming to England for the first time, and Unai Emery will be hoping that he has enough quality in his current squad to see out the Premier League season comfortably.

The Villans are currently 11th in the table, making rapid progress from their vulnerable situation under Steven Gerrard. Their current manager has tallied five wins, one draw and two defeats in his eight top-flight games in charge so far, which will be a huge relief for supporters.

Despite failing to make a midfield signing in January, Villa didn’t rest on their laurels during the transfer window and were linked with a number of exciting prospects over the last month.

One player who was heavily linked with a move to the Midlands was Marseille’s Matteo Guendouzi, a player with whom Emery is very familiar after managing him at the Emirates Stadium when he was in charge at Arsenal.

The 23-year-old departed London in 2021 amid reports that his relationship with current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta broke down, and now the 40-year-old’s loss could be Emery’s gain as Villa are expected to reignite their interest in the France midfielder in the summer.

Across 20 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, Guendouzi – who was dubbed “formidable” by Juninho Pernambucano – has scored one goal, registered three assists and tallied an 89% pass completion rate, averaging 1.1 shots on goal, 51.3 touches, 1.2 tackles and 3.9 successful duels per game and proving to be a huge presence on the pitch.

Guendouzi is also hugely versatile with his positioning in midfield, offering both a consistent attacking threat and potency in his defensive abilities, which would be incredibly valuable to Emery in his pursuit to improve the progressive play at Villa Park.

In fact, Emery could land his very own Luka Modric by signing Guendouzi, as the Real Madrid machine has been the most comparable player to the Frenchman over the last 12 months, according to FBref.

The positional peers have shared many similarities in their output over the season so far, including shots on target rate (19% v 19%), goal contributions (4 v 5), pass completion rate (87.3% v 86.9%), goal-creating actions (5 v 6), progressive passes completed (108 v 107) and successful take-ons (10 v 9).

As a result, if the Villa manager could continue to develop Guendouzi’s talents, the club would secure a player who could be incredibly influential in the team for years to come amid their ambitious efforts to qualify for European football, similar to the impact that Modric has had at Real Madrid.

With that in mind, a move for Guendouzi is an opportunity not to be missed by the powerbrokers at Villa Park, as the talented midfielder could be the catalyst in massively improving the link-up play to inspire more opportunities in front of goal.

Leeds: Koch was "flawless" vs Brentford

Leeds United picked up just their third clean sheet since September as Jesse Marsch’s men put in a resolute defensive display against Brentford at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites have leaked goals for fun recently, conceding two in each of their prior four outings, including a pair of FA Cup third-round matches against Championship outfit Cardiff City, so the American will be glad to see that they are capable of stifling the opposition.

Whilst it extended their winless run to six matches in the Premier League, there was still room for optimism, particularly from returning central defensive duo Max Wober and Robin Koch.

The latter particularly caught the eye with a monstrous showing up against one of the top-flight’s most lethal marksmen – on his day – in Ivan Toney.

As per Sofascore, the towering German was rewarded with the highest rating of any Leeds player and was the highest-rated of all the outfield starters in the match.

Across the 90 minutes, Koch contented a whopping 19 duels and came out on top in 14 of them, both were the most in the match, highlighting just how dominant he was in the air and on the ground.

The £40k-per-week titan also won three tackles, made three clearances, had one interception and put in one block to round off a pretty dogged effort to thwart the Bees’ tricky frontline.

Interestingly, he also won five free-kicks for his side, so not only was he physically dominant but he also played the mental game to a tee as well, doing anything to disrupt Thomas Frank and his side from playing their ‘total’ football.

It was indeed a colossal display that saw him lauded by those watching on.

‘Commanding in his dealings with one of the league’s best strikers. Can sometimes look a little fragile, but was strong and dealt well with Ivan Toney’s physical approach,’ wrote LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross in his post-match column, for example.

Whilst he also dubbed him “virtually flawless” as well. Sky Sports and BBC analyst Statman Dave also lauded him for being “crucial” throughout the first half as he helped set an early tone for Leeds’ strong backline showing.

Meanwhile, in the eyes of CBS Sports reporter Jake Winderman, Leeds may have found their “CB pairing for years to come” in Koch and Wober, and without getting too ahead of ourselves – given they are still in a poor run of form – it’s hard to disagree as they just delivered in the absence of the captain, Liam Cooper.

On the day, though, it was Koch who narrowly outshone the January arrival and as such, he arguably stole the show in west Yorkshire.

AND in other news, Orta could seal “a great deal” with “incredible” third Leeds signing in £22m “protege”…

Wolves to hold firm amid Matheus Nunes interest

Wolverhampton Wanderers are adamant they will not be open to selling Matheus Nunes amid reported interest coming from Liverpool.

What’s the latest?

Wolves broke their club record fee to bring in the 24-year-old over the summer from Sporting CP with a bid of £42.2m seeing the Portuguese star move to Molineux.

However, in doing so they capitalised on a breakdown in Liverpool’s interest in the midfielder with Jurgen Klopp’s side believed to have shown an interest in taking him to Anfield.

And now it seems as if the Reds have returned to their interest in Nunes with a potential move coming for the midfielder in the summer seemingly more likely, but Sky Sports man Anton Toloui has said Julen Lopetegui’s side do not want to sell:

“I’ve been speaking to people at Wolves this morning [Tuesday] and they were saying look, we do not want anyone to come in for him.

“We’re in a relegation fight, come armed with not just a chequebook, but wheelbarrows full of cash because there’s absolutely no way Wolves will sell him without getting a heck of a lot more than they paid for him.”

Opportunity for Wolves?

Nunes has already made 12 starts in a Wolves shirt in the Premier League since making the move to Molineux in the summer but his game time has been somewhat irregular.

Despite making 14 appearances in the Premier League, the Portuguese midfielder has only lasted 90 minutes on seven occasions so far (via Transfermarkt).

And given Wolves went all out to bring him in over the summer with a club-record fee, this does feel slightly disappointing and suggests they maybe aren’t quite getting the maximum out of their investment.

During his time with Sporting CP, Nunes was lavished with some big praise with the Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hailing the 24-year-old after what he had seen from him in the Champions League:

“Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today. Despite the difficulties and some mistakes, I have to be very satisfied because we took a big step towards the next round,” Guardiola said just under one year ago.

Given this high praise, it would suggest the midfielder is still just taking time to bed into life in England which was disrupted over the winter by the break in play for the World Cup.

Adding onto that, Wolves had made a pretty dismal start to the Premier League campaign under Bruno Lage, meaning a change in manager with the established Lopetegui could see the midfielder blossom.

However, if there are any concerns from Wolves that they may have made the wrong decision in bringing Nunes to Molineux, it does seem as if Liverpool could give them an opportunity to walk away from the 24-year-old.

Although, their interest in the midfielder alone would suggest he is a player of high potential.

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